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Rooted in Racism

Destroying the Fed’s independence to make monetary policy decisions would be a disaster for working people

President Trump has made escalating threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell for the sin of not doing exactly what Trump wants with interest rates. Preventing the political capture of Fed decision-making is the only thing standing in the way of the Trump administration seizing control of monetary policy and fueling higher inflation and interest rates for typical working families. Read more

Trump’s deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs

If 4 million people are deported over the next four years:

3.3 million fewer immigrants and 2.6 million fewer U.S.-born workers will be employed at the end of that period.
U.S.-born construction employment will fall by 861,000, and immigrant employment will fall by 1.4 million.
Half a million child care jobs will be eliminated.
California, Florida, New York, and Texas will have the highest job losses due to larger immigrant populations.

Instead of funding aggressive and indiscriminate immigration enforcement, Congress should improve wages and working conditions and provide adequate resources for labor standard enforcement. Read the report

Tariffs FAQ

During his campaign, Trump pledged to impose universal tariffs of 10–60% on all U.S. imports. The International Economic Emergency Powers Act gives the president broad authority to do so.

Since taking office, the Trump regime has announced, delayed, bloviated and prevaricated on the implementation of tariffs. All this highlights that historically large and broad-based tariffs remain a very possible policy outcome in the coming days, weeks, months, years, or never.

Learn everything you need to know about tariffs and were afraid to ask with this FAQ. Read more

How anti-worker policies, crony capitalism, and privatization keep the South locked out of shared prosperity

Southern lawmakers have neglected basic worker protections and disinvested in social safety net programs while offering hefty subsidies to corporations, privatizing public goods, and giving the wealthy big tax breaks. In fact, in 11 Southern states, the poorest 20% of residents pay more in sales taxes alone than the top 1% of residents pay in all state and local taxes combined.

When policies in the South fail to raise adequate revenue to pay for public goods and services, these same harmful policies are leveraged as “the cure,” creating a vicious cycle that keeps millions of Southerners locked into poverty and out of the benefits from economic growth. Read more

Latest Research

Trump’s deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs: Both immigrants and U.S.-born workers would suffer job losses, particularly in construction and child care

July 10, 2025 By Ben Zipperer Report
EPI president Heidi Shierholz denounces passage of GOP budget bill

July 3, 2025 By Heidi Shierholz Statement
EPI president Heidi Shierholz condemns Senate passage of Republican budget bill

July 1, 2025 By Heidi Shierholz Statement
How anti-worker policies, crony capitalism, and privatization keep the South locked out of shared prosperity: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Five

June 18, 2025 By Nina Mast Report
Recession FAQ

June 10, 2025 By Josh Bivens, Elise Gould, Adam S. Hersh, Hilary Wething, and Ben Zipperer Fact Sheet

View all publications

Blog

Destroying the Fed’s independence to make monetary policy decisions would be a disaster for working people

July 17, 2025 By Josh Bivens Blog
Workers need real security and flexibility, not pro-employer portable benefits proposals

July 17, 2025 By Billy Bonnist and Max Feist Blog
Trump’s Department of Labor is dismantling key workplace protections

July 10, 2025 By Celine McNicholas, Margaret Poydock, and Samantha Sanders Blog
Disinvestment in the public sector undermines opportunities for Black women across the South: Trump cuts further threaten key services for working people across the nation

July 7, 2025 By Chandra Childers Blog
Private-sector job growth notably weaker in June amid rising economic uncertainty

July 3, 2025 By EPI Staff Blog
The radical Republican budget bill steals from the poor to give tax cuts to the rich

July 2, 2025 By Heidi Shierholz Blog
Republicans are trying to hide just how much their budget bill costs

July 2, 2025 By Josh Bivens Blog

Visit the blog

EPI in the news

Vermont’s continuing hunger gap

According to the Economic Policy Institute and local analyses from Hunger Free Vermont, wage growth has lagged behind these increases, leaving 40% of adults struggling to afford basics and forcing trade-offs like skipping meals to pay rent.

Vermont Daily Chronicle | July 17, 2025
Think Tanks in an Authoritarian Moment

Center-left think tanks were fewer, but powerhouses such as the Economic Policy Institute and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities had outsized influence because of their technical capacities and credibility, and over time, they built their own networks of state affiliates.

Democracy Journal | July 17, 2025
Commentary: She looked like a pro-worker Trump cabinet appointee. But now she’s gutting the Labor Department

Margaret Poydock, a senior policy analyst at the labor-affiliated Economic Policy Institute. “These 63 rules they referenced were just two days’…[paywall].

LA Times | July 17, 2025
9 Best Places in the US for New Families — and How Much It Costs To Live There

Here are nine communities where new families can find value without sacrificing quality of life. The cost estimates are based on Economic Policy Institute data and show what it takes for a family of four to live modestly but comfortably.

GO Banking Rates | July 17, 2025
Trump 2.0: the potential effects of a second Trump administration on workers’ compensation and employers

Other changes that have been seen or may be seen as a result of the Trump administration include the following:

A rollback of the Biden Administration’s increases in the salary amounts employers must pay to be exempt from overtime payments under the Fair Labor Standards Act. However, on April 24, 2025, the DOL requested to pause the appeals in the federal courts stating that they intend on reconsidering the issue and rollbacks. “Department of Labor asks to pause litigation over overtime rule.” Economic Policy Institute blog, April 24, 2025.

Reuters | July 17, 2025
Deep dive: A look at the 287(g) program and its implications for local NC law enforcement

According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank researching economic inequality, sanctuary laws do not seek to restrict or impede federal immigration agents from carrying out their duties.

WHQR Public Radio (North Carolina) | July 17, 2025
Are Labor Unions Effective?
Sources
1. Economic Policy Institute. “Why Unions Are Good for Workers—Especially in a Crisis Like COVID-19.”
Investopedia | July 17, 2025

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Explores and explains how race, ethnicity, and class intersect to affect economic outcomes in the US. Meet P.R.E.E.

All of the data, none of the confusion. Visit data.epi.org

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Latest Research

Trump’s deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs: Both immigrants and U.S.-born workers would suffer job losses, particularly in construction and child care

EPI president Heidi Shierholz denounces passage of GOP budget bill

EPI president Heidi Shierholz condemns Senate passage of Republican budget bill

How anti-worker policies, crony capitalism, and privatization keep the South locked out of shared prosperity: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Five

Recession FAQ

Blog

Destroying the Fed’s independence to make monetary policy decisions would be a disaster for working people

Workers need real security and flexibility, not pro-employer portable benefits proposals

Trump’s Department of Labor is dismantling key workplace protections

Disinvestment in the public sector undermines opportunities for Black women across the South: Trump cuts further threaten key services for working people across the nation

Private-sector job growth notably weaker in June amid rising economic uncertainty

The radical Republican budget bill steals from the poor to give tax cuts to the rich

Republicans are trying to hide just how much their budget bill costs

EPI in the news

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EARN

Federal Policy Watch

Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy

Unequal Power

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